MUMBAI: NDTV Imagine is set to launch a new series of Ramayan produced by Sagar Arts from 21 January. Based on Valmiki’s Ramayan and Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, the new series will have a new star cast and grand sets.
The production is being executed at Sagar Film City in Vadodara where imposing sets have been erected to depict key areas in the kingdom of Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Ram. With new technologies available since the times of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, the new version will have a more compelling story telling.
Announcing the launch of the show, NDTV Imagine chief executive officer Sameer Nair said, “Ramayan is a tale for every generation. It is multi-layered, multi-faceted, multi-dimensional… and this brand new daily version of the timeless classic has been interpreted to cater to the taste of a shining, modern India. Television is all about great stories well told, and for us, Ramayan is India’s greatest story ever and we hope to re-tell it in a compelling, entertaining manner.”
Gurmeet Choudhary will play the lead of Lord Ram while Debina Bonnerjee plays Sita. The 3 key characters – Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan – will be played by Ankit Arora, Vije Bhatia and Lalit Negi respectively. The music of Ramayan has been composed by Ravindra Jain and the voices to the title track have been lent by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Suresh Wadkar.
Prem Sagar said, “Ramayan, like the river Ganga is sacred, timeless and unmeasureable. A dip in the values of idealism and sacrifice embodied in Ramayan is like a bath in the Ganga that purifies your thought, speech and action and washes away all evil gathered as time has moved life. Twenty years ago, our revered father Dr. Ramanand Sagar created a revolution through a blockbuster show. Now, we… the second and third generation hope to recreate the same magic.”
Adds Nair, “Ramayan has a huge connect with audiences across the country and has all the elements that will deliver on our promise to entertain and delight. The Sagars are powerful storytellers and the final word in creating mythological epics for television and we believe that our partnership has the potential to make Ramayan a show that the whole family will watch together every evening.”
